Whisky: Glenallachie 12 Year (2008), Signatory Vintage

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 62.9%

Cask: First Fill Sherry Butt

Age: 12 Year (Distilled 6 May 2008, Bottled 13 Jan. 2021)

Nose: Spice, cinnamon, poached pears, ginger stem, prickly spirited heat, fruity chili pepper, strawberry syrup, milk chocolate.

Palate: Medium bodied, oily, mild astringency, dried fruits, sweet cinnamon, white chocolate, cherry, peppery heat at the end.  Water brought out more fruit, especially apples and pears, while toning down the spice and oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Medium-length and very drying with cinnamon and cherry.

Score: 5

Mental Image: Cinnamon Flambée

Narrative & Notes: The aroma left nothing to the imagination— here was the sherry hammer of the Gods. Bursting with cinnamon, fruity peppers, strawberry syrup, and milk chocolate on the nose, the dram slowly developed a fruitier side with cinnamon-poached pears and tinned nectarines in ginger syrup. The palate was medium-bodied and oily and shone with the brightness of the sherry hammer; dried fruits, sweet cinnamon, cherry cordial, white chocolate, and an underlying pepper. A bit prickly and with a notable spirited heat, a few drops of water put affairs in order and brought out more apples and pears. The finish was medium-length with cinnamon, cherry, and a pronounced drying astringency.

This was not my kind of whisky— incredibly cask driven and weighed down with tannic sherry notes. In terms of sherried scotch, I prefer something maltier so that the spirit stands up to the aggressive casking without becoming lost. The lighter spirit of Glenallachie was trampled under the cask, outshone by the machinations of the sherry butt. I have absolute faith that fans of “sherry bombs” would find a lot more to love as they appreciate the work of the holy sherry hammer more than I.

Overall, a tad simple and overly cask driven, I thought water improved things significantly by suppressing the heat and surfacing more fruit, even if it came at the cost of the oilier viscosity the whisky had at cask strength.

Image Credit: Must Have Malts